Download or read book Does Competitive Strategy Protect Companies from Intellectual Property Free Riding? written by Theresa Veer and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Companies with a distinct competitive strategy are attractive targets for free riding of intellectual property (IP) as copying their products either provides high margins (differentiation) or opens large markets (cost leadership). However, a clever combination of a competitive strategy with a suitable IP strategy and management can protect a company from IP free riding. Our findings suggest that cost leaders should use legal protection methods and ensure the enforcement of these methods. Differentiators should keep their knowledge and technology secret so as to mitigate the imitation enabling effect of technical intellectual property rights (IPR). Trademarks and registered designs are effective tools for companies of both competitive strategies. Policy should improve the effectiveness of IPR regimes allowing easy and fast enforcement of patents.